The present invention relates, in general, to a suspension strut for use in a wheel suspension of an automotive vehicle, and more particularly to a suspension strut bearing for a suspension strut.
The wheel suspension or wheel control for each of the steered front wheels of motor vehicles includes a suspension strut which includes a telescopic shock absorber and a coil spring which operates a wheel spring and is disposed in surrounding relationship to the shock absorber. The shock absorber and the coil spring are supported elastically by the vehicle body and are borne together in a suspension strut bearing with respect to the vehicle body for rotation about their longitudinal axis. The suspension strut bearing allows a rotation between the shock absorber and the attached spring disk, on the one hand, and the vehicle body, on the other hand, when the wheel are turned for steering purposes. The further spring end of the coil spring is so supported by the shock absorber as to be constraint against rotation. The resistance against turning can be kept small by incorporating a roller bearing in the suspension strut bearing in order to enhance the steering comfort and to prevent an inadvertent spring torsion and resultant return moments.
A wheel control or suspension for front wheels is described in German Pat. No. DE 29 13 982. The wheel suspension has a shock absorber with a piston rod whose upper bearing journal has attached thereon an axial roller bearing to ensure a rotation of the suspension strut relative to the vehicle body. The lower ring of the axial roller bearing is supported via a spring disk by the piston rod of the shock absorber as well as by the associated coil spring. Forces applied by the shock absorber and the coil spring and acting on the roller bearing are transmitted from the roller bearing via an elastic support bearing onto the vehicle body.
German patent publication DE 197 52 268 describes a suspension strut bearing having two carrier elements and a roller bearing positioned between the carrier elements. A first one of the carrier elements is secured to the vehicle body so as to be constraint against rotation and has fitted therein a bearing ring of the roller bearing. The first carrier element has a rotation-symmetrical, circular ring shaped configuration and has on the outside an axially projecting wall which extends over the entire assembly height of the roller bearing. On its free end, the wall of this rotation-fixed carrier element engages behind a radially outwardly directed collar of the second carrier element for placement of a second bearing ring. The second carrier element is made of sheet steel and has a roller bearing distal side which supports on the outside the coil spring of the suspension strut. The suspension strut is further provided with a damping element for realizing an elastic end stop at severe spring compression.
It would be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved suspension strut bearing which is cost-efficient and which is compact in structure and weight-optimized while exhibiting improved stiffness.